See what all the buzz is (corny I know but, I couldn't help myself) surrounding Google lastest service; Google Buzz.With other soical services like Twitter, Facebook etc. I'm not sure if I can fit another social community into my life, even if it is already apart of my Gmail account. Only time will tell. At this point, I might have to to rule this move by Google as being overly competitive.
P.S. Me and all my friends haven't even started to really use Google Wave yet! lol
2010 looks promising for many reason in the tech community. Many products have been recently unveiled at this years CES. Everything from 3D TV to USB 3.0 being demonstrated by it's respective manufactures; gives us evidence that innovation is far from dead. It's no secret that people are using their mobile devices more so than desktops to access content on the web now. Device like the Palm Pre and Google Nexus One have definitely helped deliver desktop class web browsing to the mobile medium but, none of which currently support Adobe Flash. Without Flash, browsing the web on these "Superphones" still seem crippled. With the Open Screen Project in full swing; Flash content working on your handheld might be right around the corner.
Another video of Flash 10.1 running on the Palm Pre inside
The Pre and Pixi community has been waiting on this update for a while now. More of an update filled with refinement and bug fixes than features. WebOs devices, the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi should run smoother after you downlaod and install the new version via OTA. Major features changes worth mentioning are the app limit being removed, improved battery life (the jury is still out on this one), and an overall snappier experience.Check out the entire list of changes here.Let us know in the comment section what your experience has been like. Ciao!
The past few years have seen great change in the world of smartphones. Cupertino has taken the smartphone market by storm while Redmond seems to have become quite a joke. Sunnyvale--that's Palm, kids--was on the brink of death but is making a pleasant rebound. And then there's Mountain View (you know, the only company whose search engine has managed to become a verb used in everyday English [no, not Bing]) whose mobile OS seems to be invading from the back door.
Of course, I've left out the biggest player in the US smartphone market. Yes, despite its Canadian roots, Waterloo still dominates US smartphone market share. Not bad, eh? Perhaps it's not your favorite, but it happens to be mine, so I am proud to tell you why (or why not) to use the beloved BlackBerry for personal, business, or otherwise. Finally, I will give you an idea of where RIM can expect for the future, based on its current course. Let's break this up into several categories:
1. Hardware
I love it when I'm out in the boonies and my iPhone friends are trying to find signal while my BlackBerry has a solid 2 bars of EDGE. First and foremost, a phone should always have a good radio (I'm not talking about music distribution, I'm talking about the chip that communicates with your local cell tower). BlackBerry devices have the finest radios out of almost any phone out there. BlackBerry users may end up being the first to grow tumors on the sides of their heads, but luckily for them, they won't drop the call to their oncologist. Furthermore, BlackBerry devices are known for their screens' amazing pixel density and clarity (in the most recent models). And let's not forget about the legendary keyboards. Sure, you Apple fanboys may claim you can type more quickly on your iToys, but after years of tweaking my AutoText list on my BB, I'd gladly challenge you to a typing race. (For the record, I don't hate fanboys--just giving you guys a hard time! The iPhone is my second favorite phone out there. And I do have an iPhone; it makes a great alarm clock on my nightstand right now!) I am intentionally neglecting to mention the original Storm since RIM has fixed that problem with the most recent Storm2--if you haven't tried typing on it yet, go give it a try.
2. OS
This topic will bring about some debate. I will admit this: the BlackBerry OS is a little stale. But recent facelifts and the amazing speed and ability of the BB OS make it a winner in my opinion. How I judge an OS's ease of use is by asking this question: "How easy is it to use the phone while driving my car?" (NOTE FROM OUR LAWYERS: Never use your phone while driving, as that would be irresponsible and potentially illegal where you live). I enjoy a unified messaging list where I can view a summary of every type of incoming communication to my phone. When I have a text message, an email, a Facebook invite, and an AIM message, they're all in one place; I don't have to switch from app to app to read them all. Yet, I understand that some people would rather have these things in separate places. Well guess what: you can do that as well. You can easily disable certain types of messages from going into the message list and you can go view them separately in their own app. Remember, the roots of the BlackBerry are in messaging, so messaging capabilities deserve a special emphasis here. (I will discuss email specifically later on in this article.)
The BlackBerry OS does fail to shine, however, in one aspect: the browser SUCKS. OK, it has been improved and is much easier to use in OS 5.0, but still. RIM needs to get on the WebKit bandwagon. While they did acquire Torch Mobile to do just that, I fear it will be awhile before we see any real progress. I actually fear it won't be until OS 5.5 or (gasp) 6.0 before we see any real WebKit browser for the BB. Yes, Opera Mini is decent, but I hate the way it renders pages. And Bolt Browser is just plan ugly and has major latency issues. (OK, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View win in the browser category).
3. Reliability
OK so the BlackBerry connects to cell towers in places where no other phone has a chance. And 99% of the time, everything works as it should. But man, when BIS goes down, it takes faith and commitment to prevent me from cheating on my BlackBerry--you know, by pulling it out of my BB Bold and sticking it in my iPhone instead. My SIM card, that is. Sicko. (Of course, AT&T's recent change in data plan policy makes that an expensive affair, as they now charge you for per megabyte usage if you don't have a device-specific data plan.)
With consumers adopting BlackBerry devices at rapid pace in the past few years, Waterloo has had some issues maintaining their image as the "beacon of reliability" as the apparent overload of their [stupid] proxy servers has caused hell for many. In the past month alone we've seen 3 mass outages that affected all carriers worldwide. WHY, RIM, CAN'T WE BYPASS YOUR PROXY FOR BASIC INTERNET ACCESS???
But when BIS is up, things are great. Sometimes too great. You know, the kind of greatness that results in your friends and family saying things like "I know you got my email since you have a BlackBerry; why haven't you replied?" when you just don't want to talk.
4. The Future
RIM's got a great thing going. But they really need to focus on a few things: BIS reliability--or the gradual weening off of their BIS proxy for basic data capabilities. Maybe we wouldn't have so many detrimental email outages if every single bit of data for ANY internet application weren't processed through their proxy! Email should be the only thing reliant on the BIS proxy. Browser abilities. Sorry, RIM, but your Browser is only almost as functional as IE 4 at this point. But even slower than that. You WILL lose market share if you don't fix this deficiency! Interface needs some updating. Yes, I love simplicity and ease of use, but with iPhone and Android showing users newer, sexier ways of displaying information, people will leave, especially the end consumers whom you have recently been targeting since normal consumers generally aren't concerned with the hidden "reliability" and security of your devices. Application distribution. For the love of God, fix that damn App World! Once again, think "end consumer." We're dealing with regular people now, not just high end executives who only demand a reliable connection to their BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Sorry to say it but App World was a clumsy attempt to challenge Apple's App Store. But if anyone at Waterloo is reading this, please continue these trends: Amazing hardware and variety of devices. iToys can't compete when a user demands a physical keyboard--or a working phone. Special focus on messaging. The BlackBerry, simply put, is a messaging device above all. (But still fix that browser!)
Conclusion
I love the BlackBerry, mostly because it is so easy to use. But every phone will shine in its own way, depending on the main priority of the user. To each his own. As long as RIM continues to focus on reliability and continues its gradual trend toward end consumer appeal, they can maintain a leading position in the US. Perhaps the biggest potential challenge to this will be the iPhone's migration to CDMA, if it does happen. It will be up to RIM at that point to ensure it takes care of its normal consumer users so that those who stick with VZW or Sprint don't jump ship to the iPhone simply because the BlackBerry was the best option on their carrier at the time. The upcoming months will certainly be interesting as we learn just what RIM's competitors plan to do next, be it a non-Sprint WebOS device, a Verizon iPhone, or any number of new Android options (I'm not holding my breath for a serious Windows Phone challenger). Even more interesting for <STRIKE>a RIM lover like me</STRIKE> a BlackBerry fan like me will be RIM's response!
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